


A Three-letter Word for Courtship

by matchsticks_p (matchsticks)



Category: Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-10
Updated: 2012-01-10
Packaged: 2017-10-29 07:41:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/317418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/matchsticks/pseuds/matchsticks_p
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for a prompt at the ghotocol_kink meme: Five ways Benji tried to woo Brandt (and failed spectacularly) and the one time he succeeded.<br/>Warning for occasional lapses into borderline prose poetry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Three-letter Word for Courtship

**i.**  
The next time they use planets for code names, Benji assigns "Uranus" to Brandt.

In hindsight, it might not have been the brightest move. Ethan's lips twitch almost every time Benji says something over their comm link, something such as "Uranus is in position" or "the mark is making a move for Uranus." Ethan has the best poker face Benji has ever seen, so he's mostly able to school his expression into impassiveness, but one rogue smile could give the game away.

Benji thinks it's worth the danger, though, for the way Brandt puts him into a headlock as punishment as soon as they've all gotten out safely.

 **ii.**  
Sometimes, when Benji really wants attention from someone but isn't quite sure how to get it, he regresses back to the twitchy, nerdy, socially awkward little geek he was in secondary school.

Not that he isn't still a twitchy, nerdy, socially awkward geek, of course. It's just that he's also an adult now, with a grown-up job and important responsibilities and everything, and so it's even less appropriate for him to be aiming spitballs at people.

Brandt wipes the back of his neck, struck for the third time in a quarter of an hour by one of Benji's spitballs, and makes a disgusted face. He glares and mouths a threat to Benji's physical safety, but Benji notices with satisfaction that he doesn't move away to sit somewhere else.

 **iii.**  
"I got you a latte," Benji says, handing Brandt a steaming paper cup.

Brandt promptly sets it aside. "I don't drink coffee. I don't want to put all those chemicals and unnecessary sugar into my body when I need to be in top condition at all times."

"Oh. Um. Sorry. I just thought, you know, since I was out getting one and we were stuck here all night anyway that maybe, you know. But you're right, I should've asked first, I shouldn't have assumed, and maybe I, I don't know. Sorry."

"No, Benji, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to--"

"Oh, would you look at that, this very important piece of equipment is flashing red so I'm going to go sit outside and deal with it."

"Benji--"

 **iv.**  
Valentine's Day turns Ethan and Jane into maudlin, sullen depressives, which is fair enough as they'd both lost loved ones. Brandt and Benji stay out of their way, give them space but indicate that they are available to talk should they need someone to listen.

Out of sight of Ethan and Jane so that they won't see and get sadder, Benji passes a small folded card to Brandt. It's kept shut by a heart-shaped sticker of the most obnoxious shade of neon pink. Brandt quirks an eyebrow at him, amused and suspicious all at once, and pulls it open.

"This valentine's day, I'm going to 'raichu' a love song...?" Brandt reads aloud.

"It's a pokemon joke," Benji expains. It's the kind of card children trade with their mates when they're still too young for valentines to hold any actual romantic meaning.

"Pokemon? What are you eight years old?" Brandt wonders.

"Hey, I'll have you know I'm turning _eight and a half_ next week," Benji returns.

 **v.**  
So it turns out Brandt gives no shits about the football match and only said he'd watch it with Benji to be polite.

That's fine.

Or, it isn't, really, because how can anyone not give a shit about the FA Cup, but fine, whatever, it's fine.

 **and 6.**  
"Brandt, I was wondering..."

"Yes?" Brandt manages to inject a lot of long-suffering patience into such a short word, possibly because Benji has been kicking the back of his chair for well over an hour.

"Would you like to go out for dinner sometime?"

"Yes. God, yes. Let's go now, so you can stop kicking my chair, and forwarding me Star Wars macros I don't understand, and giving me weird gifts, and telling me to smell your sweaty shoes after you've been running."

Brandt grabs Benji's hand and drags him out of the door.

**Author's Note:**

> first posted to [the ghotocol_kink meme](http://ghotocol-kink.livejournal.com) on 2012-jan-09


End file.
